It gives me great pleasure to commend this important Bill to the House. I thank the hon. Member for Dulwich (Ms Jowell) for her concern. I have never felt alone during our proceedings, although on occasions I have felt, to use the parlance of the Bill, like a single-handed practitioner. However, they now practise in different—usually high-quality—circumstances in a way that would not have been thought of before.

I thank hon. Members from all parties who have supported what will be an important milestone in primary care in this country. This is the first time that the House has addressed itself in detail to legislation on primary care since the inception of the health service 50 years ago.

The Bill is rooted not so much in Government policy as in NHS practice. It follows a comprehensive listening exercise based on ideas brought to us by the professions on how they could come together to provide better primary care. It addresses many problems of the quality of primary care and the uneven distribution of primary care and dental services in parts of the country.

As the hon. Member for Southwark and Bermondsey (Mr. Hughes) has pointed out, new schemes without additional funding are meaningless. The Government are committed, after being re-elected in the coming election, to developing the legislation and the pilot proposals with additional funding. In the Prime Minister's words, that funding is committed year on year on year on year on year throughout the life of the next Government, which will develop the legislation practically, improving primary care for the whole country. I commend the Bill to the House.